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How to sack 20,000 Queenslanders (or more)

The Watcher knows government. The Watcher knows media. The Watcher sees all. The identities of our contributors, who are not journalists, are verified but remain anonymous. If you'd like to contribute, email watcher@brisbanetimes.com.au . Follow The Watcher on Twitter @TheWatcher_BT

Welcome to The Watcher, brisbanetimes.com.au’s new series of reports from inside the machinery of government. The identities of all our contributors, who are not journalists, are verified but remain anonymous. If you’d like to contribute, email watcher@brisbanetimes.com.au.

You would expect a fair bit of outrage if a new CEO came on board and promptly sacked between hundreds and thousands of workers. But that's precisely what the new Queensland Premier is set to do, with the explanation of, "Sorry, we can't afford you”.

No matter whether you are in the private or public sector, that's a lot of employees to push off the payroll.

So how do you media manage such a shock-and-awe strategy when it's aimed against your own workforce? How do you keep the spin playing out in the print and electronic media without risking a public backlash?

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Most political messaging is based around three fundamental truths: the simpler the message, the more effective; you can never go wrong mining pre-existing prejudices/stereotypes; and all messaging is layered so you need to keep it rolling out.

What we have seen over the past month is a seven-step strategy designed to – at least in the news cycles – reduce up to 40,000 people to non-productive casual workers.

Step one:

Start the campaign by running the line that the financial situation is far worse than we were told – a tried-and-true strategy. Underline it with the demand for $100 million in savings/cuts by the end of this financial year. Mix it in with some symbolic cuts of your own – the Premier's Literary Award; funding for Healthy Communities; decisions that affect minority groups who can be easily sidelined. Start talking about some projects that may need to be dumped because of lack of funds. Continue to pound the refined and simplified message of the need for tough decisions for the good of Queensland. Keep the soundbites and spin simple. Don't complicate your message with argument – state it as unchallengeable fact: we can't afford you!

Step two:

Plant some stories about public sector waste and privileged fat cat bureaucrats. Cancel building projects tagged as “office developments designed to house thousands of public servants”. Build on the perception of massive public expenditure for a privileged few. And top it with the jewel that it's all for the good of the taxpayer.

Feed out the stories about taxpayer-funded golden handshakes. Scrap the “voluntary separation program" which is a pretty safe bet because the offers closed in February before the LNP was elected. Keep that spin on how good this privileged and protected workforce has had it.

If you are wondering how to identify a planted story, look for the over-used “exclusive” badge. A true exclusive is actually rare in Brisbane journalism – which is why hardened media strategists view such claims with a slightly cynical smile. What the term exclusive actually means is that a preferred journalist is given an early copy of a press release or telephone briefing, usually by a media adviser but, if the journalist has the public profile, by the minister or premier (gotta work those egos). It's done on the basis that they write from the release and not seek opposition or other comment – therefore giving you a clear run in the news cycles. It's not a new strategy, but it's a good one.

Step three:

Make sure you get some big numbers out there in the public arena – something like more than 4000 desk jobs in four years or $320 million to the state's annual wages bill. Don't bother with any context. Devalue the positions as “desk jobs”.

Step four:

Trivialise the issue with stories about cuts to tea and coffee, the removal of indoor plants and catering budgets. And justify it on the grounds that "all departments were looking for savings”. Public servants I know have told me that the only place you will get free tea, coffee and biscuits are in the ministerial offices. The only place they know where you can get a subsidised three-course meal – cafe-style or silver service – is at Parliament House.

Step five:

Always make sure that you refer to the workers as "temporary" employees. Of course, "temporary" in the public sector has a far broader meaning than in other areas. Some of these “temporary employees” have been in their jobs for more than a decade. But if you hammer the word "temporary" you turn them from employees into non-productive casual workers. Bring this strategy together with your cheer squads on the news websites and swamp the story with comments. Political strategists have traditionally stacked talkback radio to create the impression of wide spread support. It's the same theory but just more high tech.

Step six:

This is the really important part – both in political and media terms. Clearly make the difference between frontline and non-frontline staff. What you are saying to the community is the important part of the workforce – those in uniform, nurses, firemen, ambulance staff, those at the front counter - will be immune from the changes. As for the others - the subtext to the political messaging coming out of George Street is that non-essential staff really don't add value and no one is going to care when they go.

Step seven:

Everyone has a horror story about trying to deal with a faceless bureaucrat, so do your best to exploit this. To do that you have to keep the story fresh and the spin playing like background noise. Continue to mine the mythology about public servants. Politicians are never more at home than when they are playing to community prejudices.

At the end of this you should have a workforce that is shell-shocked and a media and public that are inoculated against what is coming. That's how you sack thousands of staff. It's not recommended for those companies who consider themselves employers of choice but it has certainly worked a treat for the state government.

139 comments so far

Totally accurate. The only question is what can be done to stop the stupidity - especially when it is preceived as popular!

Commenter

Ex-insider

Date and time

June 13, 2012, 12:36PM

@Ex-insider - Thats a fact..but the one missing from this article and can be used for a least 5 years is the previous government..that one always sticks with the believers. Example...1996 Howard - Labor left us with a 96 Billion debt...But Labor inherited 40 billion of that debt from Howard..No blame..just making a point on how things are told, how it is told / reported and what gets pushed into the background by the media and spin doctors. - Cont

Commenter

Thats a fact

Date and time

June 13, 2012, 12:52PM

John Major made a statement last night..just relpace Briitsh with Australian and you will see it applies here.

I do think parts of his press, parts of his media empire have lowered the general quality of the British media. I think that is a loss.I think it is evident which newspaper I am referring to. I think they have lowered the tone. I think the interaction that there has been with politicians has done no good either to the press or to the politicians.I think the sheer scale of the influence he is believed to [have] whether he exercises it or not, is an unattractive facet in British national life, and it does seem to me an oddity that in a nation which prides itself on one man, one vote, we should have one man, who can't vote, with a large collection of newspapers and a large share of the electronic media outlets.I don't think you could or should in a sort of diverse world in which we live, actually do anything about that, but it does strike me as slightly odd that that actually is the position

Commenter

Thats a fact

Date and time

June 13, 2012, 12:54PM

Any Australian with a computer can watch the Leveson Inquiry Live around 8pm Queensland time.

Sorry, totally inaccurate. ... I have had first hand exposure to the feather bedding, blatant nepotism, laziness, meetings masquerading as activity, empire building, tribalism, fudging of output measurements and expensive whacko projects that never get delivered. If the bloke that wrote this story claims to be an "Ex-insider", my bet is that he was a favourite of the previous government with his snout in the trough and Newman cut off his supply.

Commenter

Gerry

Location

Sydney

Date and time

June 14, 2012, 1:27PM

"I have had first hand exposure to the feather bedding, blatant nepotism, laziness, meetings masquerading as activity, empire building, tribalism, fudging of output measurements and expensive whacko projects that never get delivered"

My Qld public servant sister said something very similar 6 weeks ago. She has always voted for the LNP. I spoke to her last night and she said she will almost definitely be out of a job within 3 months. She's currently scrambling to try and secure her position but it's not looking good. So I guess both you and her can keep railing about the public service 'fat cats', but it's not going to put food on the table to feed her son.

I guess Campbell is relying on the Federal Govt to pick up the slack through welfare payments.

Commenter

fiz

Date and time

June 16, 2012, 11:43AM

Sacking 20,000 or more public servants is sure to help all those struggling small businesses out there ....... wont it ?

It's quite obvious to me that "The Watcher" is either J. Fraser or Tunnels Newman or perhaps he / they are now doing things in triplicate.

Whatever ....... it's eerily accurate.

Commenter

J. Fraser

Location

Queensland

Date and time

June 13, 2012, 12:42PM

Since the economy is going gangbusters according to Wayne Swan and Julia Gillard, then the sacked public sector workers would have no problem in finding new jobs is 'nt it?

After all Wayne Swan continously bleats about how Australians have never had it better.

Commenter

Regh

Date and time

June 13, 2012, 1:56PM

They can always find positions in the mining industry according to Gillard and Swan but they would have to be reprogrammed to produce some visible output. Better to whinge and hope reality goes away.

Commenter

John

Date and time

June 13, 2012, 2:59PM

Yeah they can get the jobs in the mining sector and compete with the foreigners on 457 visas thanks to Gillard and Swan.

Labor voters are better at whinging and whining at state govts rather than focus on the reality.

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Welcome to The Watcher, brisbanetimes.com.au's new series of reports from inside the machinery of government. The identities of all our contributors, who are not journalists, are verified but remain anonymous. If you'd like to contribute, email watcher@brisbanetimes.com.au.